A trip from the flatlands of bitter rivals Opoku Ware School in Kumasi-Ghana’s Ashanti regional capital-Prempeh College is found on a hilly slope pristinely nestled in the plush green vegetation perfectly camouflaging the green and yellow colors of the school.
This great educational institution has over the years enshrined itself in the hallways of the best by churning out prominent individuals at the every turn in society.
Former Ghana President John Agyekum Kuffour readily comes to mind just as Sam Asare after winning the under-18 competition in the Fastest Human Race competition earlier this year which speaks a lot about the school’s commitment to raising individuals to excel in various aspects of life. Prempeh College popularly known as “Amanfo)”, holds the bragging right of being the region’s biggest achiever in the boys division at the Sprite Ball Championship after winning silver in the 2010 edition.
The school’s feat has since been topped by Yaa Asantewaa who win the competition in 2012 and T.I.Ahmediyya who won the ultimate title in 2014 and 2015 in the girls category. Prempeh College has a long history with the celebrated high school basketball championship since its inception in 2007 at the Aviation Social Center that had Achimota College beat St. Augustine’s College to win the maiden edition. Prempeh through its historic battles with Opoku Ware have been a near constant presence at the national games as the duo has dominated the regional event for many years.
Its epic 2010 loss to Mfantsipim School in the finals was the high point and has been followed in subsequent years by a consistent failure to make it out of the quarter finals. The likes of Mfantsipim and Keta Senior High School have been the reasons behind this. At the 2016 edition, St. Augustine’s College denied an impressive side that featured dribbling ace Emmanuel Fordjour blind opponents with amazing ball handling skills and crisp shooting. Prempeh lost 17-29 as Augustine’s went on to win the title by beating Mfantsipim 37-22 in the final.
Prior to that quarter final exit, Prempeh stumbled against Pope John High School before recovering to glide past Adisadel College and St. John’s School in Group B.
In a fascinating finish to the final round of the group stage, Prempeh was locked in a three way battle with Adisadel and Pope John as all three shared a record of a win and a loss heading to the final round. However, with Adisadel couldn’t beat St.
John’s by a huge margin and bailed out of the competition despite Prempeh’s loss to Pope John. Headed by the charismatic technician on the sideline Frank “Agoro Nana”Agyei, the side is currently undergoing changes spurred on by the school’s recent 67th Anniversary celebrations as several former students made substantial financial contributions to the current breed of students. Arise and Shine the motto says and come January 2017 when the Sprite Ball Championship celebrates its tenth anniversary, be sure to see the green and yellow colors of Prempeh College in the roster for the decade celebration of high school basketball in Ghana. Amanfo).
